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Can you imagine what it might be like to see Caitlin Clark sling passes to Breanna Stewart?
What if Napheesa Collier teamed up with Angel Reese? Or if A'ja Wilson left the dynasty she's built with the Las Vegas Aces and opted to make a Dream come true in Atlanta?
It's open season in the WNBA. With a new collective bargaining agreement reached between the league and the Women's National Basketball Players Association, the most chaotic free agency period in the league's 30-year history could begin on April 12.
MORE: How new CBA impacts WNBA's highest salaries, from Kelsey Mitchell and A'ja Wilson to Caitlin Clark
Almost all of the league's veteran players will hit free agency at the same time, meaning that there technically could be a major realignment of the WNBA's power balance.
Players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next month, per @Spotrac:
A'ja Wilson
Breanna Stewart
Sabrina Ionescu
Kelsey Plum
Napheesa Collier
Jewell Loyd
Kahleah Copper
Arike Ogunbowale
Jackie Young
Kelsey Mitchell
Sophie Cunningham
Emma Meesseman
Gabby Williams
Satou…
WNBA writer Tyler DeLuca asked fans on X what their "delusional free agency ideas" would be amid the excitement of a new CBA that will increase salaries drastically.
The Internet obliged.
"(The Liberty) low ball Stewie trying to keep the big 3 together & she goes to Indy to form the Avengers" was one idea.
"Napheesa Collier to the Fever," wrote @cc22report. Another said the Minnesota Lynx superstar "is going to Dallas" to play with Reese.
"A’ja is an Atlanta Dream," another wrote, in a move that would see four-time MVP Wilson link up with All-Stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard.
"Sophie Cunningham to the Aces," wrote @CamDub1. That one would be a big surprise; Cunningham has become a fan favorite in Indiana as Caitlin Clark's friend and "enforcer."
Even with 77 players ticketed for unrestricted free agency, it is unlikely that many -- if any -- of these moves will come to pass.
Now armed with the knowledge that the average salary has risen to $600,000, and the supermax is $1.4 million in the first year of a new CBA, most players are poised to re-sign with their current teams -- probably on multi-year deals.
That said, surprises can always happen in free agency, and it will be interesting to see how aggressively teams choose to operate with a salary cap pushing $7 million.
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